London 2010

London 2010 - Page Text Content

S: LONDON 2010

FC: London 2010

1: Since we arrived in London at night, our impressions were limited. Although our first room was a disaster, the second was perfect.

2: Our efficiency had almost all the comforts of home. | Wow! Even a full kitchen. | The unusual configuration of the tub/shower made it a challenge to negotiate, but we finally worked it out! | Although we watched almost an entire afternoon of cricket, we never figured it out.

3: THE TUBE | MIND THE GAP | Navigating London

4: THE GLOBE THEATRE

5: THE TAMING OF THE SHREW | Since all the seats were benches, and the play was lengthy, we decided to rent these seats and cushions. It was a wish choice | One of the things I wanted most to do in London was to view a play at the Globe Theatre. Although the original Globe had burned, this replica was created as closely as possible to the original. Although it also shows current plays, we elected to see one of Shakespeare's originals. It was all I could have hoped for.

6: WHITE HORSE PUB | Since Marc had worked at the White Horse, we wanted to take the tube to Parson's Green and see where he had spent his time. The food was so good, we went back another time.

8: PARSON'S GREEN | We loved the dog park in Parson's Green. We had a long conversation with one of the owner.

9: The street were so beautiful and peaceful that I almost wanted to pack up and move there!

10: We had very little time to see the castle, as we were told that if we were late, we'd be left. We made it back with one minute to spare!

11: “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable.” ~ Helen Keller | Windsor Castle

12: Stonehenge

13: Although we could only make a circuit around it, Stonehenge was still fascinating.

14: Bath

15: The most important attraction in Bath is the Roman Baths. Although the town is still an important tourist destination, the baths are for viewing only. They are no longer used. In fact visitors are warned not to even touch the contaminated waters.

17: The town of Bath was charming, but we only had time for a quick overview. We did see people walking around in dress from the Bronte sisters era, as there had been a special program to celebrate their books.

18: Household Calvary Museum

20: changing of the guard | We made the mistake of trying to see the changing of the guard with a tour. n We were tacked on to another tour and were so late we missed most of the ceremony. In addition, our guide left with the other group and left us with no idea how to get our tickets to tour Buckingham Palace. We found another guide and he straightened things out.

24: After touring the Palace, we had lunch on the back lawn. Then we were free to walk the path and enjoy the beauty of the south garden. The walls of the Palace are well-protected!

25: Tower of London

26: bas relief map of the tower grounds

27: Traitor's Gate

28: Yeoman Guards

29: Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula

31: The Rookery | Legend has it that Charles 11 was told that if the ravens left the Tower, the kingdom and the fortress would fall The Ravenmaster takes great care of them

32: These steps and the dining hall were used in filming the Happy Potter | Christ Church College at Oxford

33: Christ Church has several claims to fame. Lewis Carroll wrote Alice In Wonderland here, the princes attended here and parts were used to film the HarryPotter movies. | our guide

34: THE COTSWOLDS the village of Buford

36: Shakespeare's Home Stratford-Upon-Avon

37: Shakespeare's birthing bed

38: Anne Hathaway's home in Atratford-Upon-Avon

39: HARROD'S | On one of the few rainy mornings, we decided to make a trip to Harrod's. Just for kicks, I made a stop at their Tiffany's store.

40: I thought the most interesting part of Harrod's was the food court, offering all kinds of unusual foods for sale,

42: Covent Gardens is known for its street performers of all kinds from human statues to juggling and comedy acts.

43: Covent Gardens is also known for its many shops. The Jubilee Market Hall has different specialties depending on the day of the week.

44: We enjoyed lunch at Covent Gardens. | With so many choices, it was difficult to choose!

45: AROUND LONDON | As we toured London on our own, we sampled one of the St. Steven's Pub.

46: Parliament | English Bobbies

47: the London Eye | Big Ben

48: WESTMINSTER ABBY

52: Wednesday, 9/15 We arrived in London at 10:20, but the driver wasn't there. After about 30 minutes, he showed up and was excellent. We arrived at Frazier Place by midnight. The room was absolutely unacceptable, but nothing could be done tonight. Thursday, 9/16 After breakfast we were given a new room. We spent about 2 hours at Starbuck's while they prepared our room. There was a line at Starbuck's the whole time! The new room was exactly what we had reserved. At about 5:00 we walked to dinner in the Stanhope Pub on Glouster Rd. We feasted on fish and chips with mushed peas. We were soon to find out that peas were served at almost every restaurant. I had my first pint in London. Larry settled for mango/passionfruit juice. Friday, 9/17 We walked to Golden Tours to book 3 trips. Then it was on to Parson's Green. Unfortunately, we took the wrong tube (twice!) and ended up at the end of the line. Thanks to the kindness of strangers,we eventually found our way to Parson's Green. We walked around the Green and saw the Duke of Cumberland which

53: was now the Duke on the Green. We took pictures for Marcus and chatted with a Chelsea fan at the dog park. We had lunch at the White Horse Pub, where Marcus worked when he was in London. It was a beautiful pub and the food was great. I had a rare beefsteak sandwich with Stilton. Larry had roast pork,mashed potatoes and peas. We managed to get home without incident. Saturday, 9/18 We couldn't get breakfast as it doesn't open until 8:99 on weekends and we had to be at the Radison at 8:00 for our tour. The first stop on our tour was Windsor Castle. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time. The second stop was was lunch at a restaurant near Stonehenge where we had fish pie, which is really fish stew and strawberries and cream (shades of Wimbleton!). Stop three: Stonehenge, and stop four at Bath. We toured the Roman Bath and then had a quick tour of the town. I wish we had more time there. Sunday, 9/19 We went to Cheleas Stadium to buy shirts for Jake, Conner and Jeff. The tube was incredibly crowded as it was a game day.

54: Monday, 9/20 Three different tours were grouped on one bus. We toured the Household Cavalry Museum. Unfortunately our guide got us to Buckingham Palace so late, that we missed most of the Changing of the Guard. When we turned around, we discovered our guide had left with another tour without giving us our tickets to Buckingham Palace. Luckily, we found a guide from a different Golden Tour who got us our tickets. We had a great leisurely tour of the Palace with headsets. Then it was lunch at the cafe ;by the South Garden. We then walked around the South Garden. It was just a 10 minute walk to the Victoria tube. Tuesday, 9/21 Today we toured the Tower of London on our own. We're really getting good at navigating the tube! We had a short tour with a Yeoman and toured the rest on our own. Wednesday, 9/22 We took the tube to the Globe Theatre to see "The Merry Wives of Windsor". It was a splendid production! Worth every very expensive penny!

55: Thursday, 9/23 Today we took a tour of Oxford, the Cotswolds and Stratford on Avon. First we went to Christ Church College at Oxford where the Princes attended and where Alice in Wonderland was written. After lunch at the Arms Pub in Buford, we saw Anne Hathaway's house. Unfortunately, we couldn't take any pictures inside. Then it was on to Shakespeare's home. Again, no pi8ctures allowe inside, but Larry did sneak a non'flash picture of the birthing bed. Outside they staged a mini-production of a scen from McBeth. Friday, 9/24 Oh, no! The coffee machine was down and there was no morning hot chocolate. We went to Harrods which was a big disappointment. The prices were unbelievable. The food area was really interesting, though. Back to the White Horse in Parson's Green for lunch. Two of the waiters recognized us from our earlier visit and stopped to chat. Saturday, 9/25 The chocolate machine is still broken. First they got me hooked on the hot chocolate and then they took it away--a fiendish plot!

56: Saturday, 9/25 (continued) We spent the day at Covent Gardens, with its living statues, mgicianS, comedy shops and booths. The Jubilee Market Hall was filled with all kinds of sho0ps: Monday, antiques, Tuesday- Friday, general marked, and Saturday and Sunday, arts and crafts. Lunch at the Pie Shop. Sunday, 9/26 It was very rainy, so we just lay around and went out only for meals. Monday, 9/27 Yipee! The chocolate machine if finally operational. We went to Westminster Abby. St. Margaret's Church right next to the Abby was charming. We stopped at St. Stephen's Pub in downtown London for cheesy chips and a pint. Our last dinner in London was, yes, you guessed it, fish and chips at Stanhope's Pub. Packing unfortunately for our trip home tomorrow. This will be our final trip business class. I could get used to that very easily!